Knights in the NFL, Wk. VI

SOR Staff Writer Gregg Snyder breaks down the efforts put forth by former Scarlet Knights currently making a living in the National Football League. Let's jump rght into it.

Knight of the Week

The Baltimore Ravens and Ray Rice had a bye in Week 5, one they used to rest up. Rice responded this week by rushing for over 100 yards for just the second time this season. Rice had 101 yards on 23 carries and also caught five passes for 60 yards. That’s a total of 161 yards from scrimmage for the star running back, earning his Knight of the Week honors. Baltimore defeated the Houston Texans, 29-14.

The Rest

A special congratulations to New York Jets linebacker Jamaal Westerman. Making his first NFL start, Westerman produced one tackle, one assist, and a half sack in the Jets 24-6 win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

The St. Louis Rams were dominated by the Green Bay Packers in a 24-3 loss. Gary Gibson played in a reserve role the St. Louis but recorded a tackle and his first sack of the season. The Rams remain winless.

Anthony Davis and the San Francisco 49ers have the NFC’s second best record. After defeating the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the 49ers are atop the NFC West Division with a 5-1 record. Davis continues to start and dominate on the offensive line. We also now know that he has his coaches back, as he was seen trying to help out in the coaching scuffle that went on after the game.

Defensive back Courtney Greene was active this week after two weeks on the inactive list. Greene played but did not record any tackles in the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Last week, the Minnesota Vikings signed Ryan D’Imperio off their practice squad. This week, the fullback got some game action. D’Imperio was the target of an incomplete pass and also played on special teams for Minnesota. The Vikings continue their struggles, losing 39-10 to the Chicago Bears.

Speaking of being signed off the practice squad, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed defensive end George Johnson off their squad. Johnson did play in the Bucs 26-20 win over the New Orleans Saints but he did not record any stats. Johnson joined fellow Rutgers alum Jeremy Zuttah on the Bucs roster. Zuttah once again started along the offensive line.

The Oakland Raiders have made it a point to dedicate the remainder of this season to long time owner Al Davis who just recently passed away. Oakland went out this week and defeated the Cleveland Browns, 24-17. Joe Porter played but did not record any stats for the Raiders.

Rookie defensive back Joe Lefeged has been making more and more of an appearance on the field for the Indianapolis Colts. You get the feeling he is going to break out at some point. Lefeged continued his duties of returning kicks. This week he returned three kicks for 29 yards. He also returned one punt for two yards. Not only that, but Lefeged recorded one tackle, two assists, and a pass deflection in the Colts 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Colts have yet to get a win this season without Peyton Manning.

On the opposite side of the field in that game were Brian Leonard and Clark Harris, members of the Bengals. Harris handled the long-snapping duties for Cincinnati while Leonard saw some time in the backfield. Leonard had two carries for nine yards while also catching two passes for a total of 38 yards in the win.

The New England Patriots improved to 5-1 on the season, the best record in the AFC, with a 20-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Devin McCourty had three tackles and one assist in the win.